Pretty Boy, Smile
by ichi-desu
Summary: An Antic Cafe fanfcition starring Miku and Bou as the main characters. This fanfiction is based off of their PV 'Smile Ichiban ii Oona' A friend requested it from me and I complied. People seemed to enjoy it, so I thought I would share.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter i**_

_"Five-hundred and forty-six." A young man counted from his windowsill. "Five-hundred and forty-seven." He pointed at another snowflake drifting away from the gray sky. Whenever the weather turned frosty and the skies began darkening before bedtime, a blonde knew what his Christmas vacation would consist of: Counting the snowflakes, one by one. He, as a little boy, made up a ritual. If he would ever make it to one-thousand he would receive whatever he loved most in the world. Whatever his heart most desired, the boy would have it; without question or restrictions._

_But, there were rules. Rules he wrote down and were hanging on his room wall, just behind him. If he were to take a peek over his shoulder, the rules would yell, "No. 1, ONLY in daylight are you allowed to count the snowflakes." "No. 2, ONLY you are to be in your room as you count." "No. 3, ALWAYS count alone, not even animals are allowed." "No. 4, EACH snowflake has to be counted only once." "No. 5, YOU can only count the snow falling from the sky, not one that has all ready hit the ground." "No. 6, ONCE you start counting, you cannot stop." "No. 7, ALWAYS try your best."_

_Of course, the last rule had its … questions, yet the boy never marked it, cut it, or ripped it off, he kept the rules just as he made them some odd years ago. He could remember the day he created the superstition just as the day he pulled out construction paper and markers, creating the rules as well. Every scrape of the marker to thick, colourful, paper to the screech of the tape, he recollected all his senses to the one moment in his life that meant the most to him, or so he thought._

_That day lived in eternity, from the moment he scooted a chair to a blank spot on his wall, to the moment he taped it to the white vacancy, to the moment he stood back--sinking in the true power of his work. The boy followed his belief right to when he was on the eve of his 17th birthday. Not once has he made it past 999; there always seemed to be a thought, a simple intuition to hold him back from making the last snowflake count. He would draw back his finger, step-off from his desk chair, wondering the consequences of one-thousand. However, out of all the countless times he stopped, the boy tittered-tottered on rhetorical questions, such as what would he receive for the one-thousandth snowflake._

"_Six-hundred and two." He unrelentingly counted, pointing at a new space of the window, "Six-hundred and three." The boy quickly swiped the window clean of the fog his breath created, "Six-hundred and four, six-hundred and --"_

_DING._

_DING._

_DING._

_DING._

_An alarm clock snapped the blonde boy out of trance of continual counting. He jumped and gave a small yelp before realizing he had set the alarm to warn him about school. "Oh no!" He exclaimed, jumping out from his spot then running out of his bedroom without a second thought about shutting the door, or his rules. He ran to the front door, slipped on his shoes, grabbed his bag then bolted out of the doorway running to school, lacking a coat._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter ii **_

_The boy arrived to school forty minutes later than the appropriate time. Lungs stinging, he leaned onto the school's front entrance, experiencing the stinging sensation of the human body defrosting from a tint of red colour to a normal peach colour. His slanted body panted madly while he thought up words to say to his insane teacher. Well, the teacher wasn't mentally insane, only unapproachable through certain situations. Hell, what was the boy thinking? The teacher was a living nightmare. All he ever did consisted of failing kids and telling them to quit their day job. It seemed like the teacher lived for the glory moments of seeing the frightened faces of today's youth reflecting in his eyes while he gloated about his education and upbringing. Truth be told, the class wasn't really taught anything about history, language, culture, or math, but about the elder's life. The man possibly will be summed up with the word, "egotistic." _

_Nevertheless, the blonde still had to face the egotistic man, whether or not he wanted to. Panting coming to slow, steady, breathing, Bou straightened his posture, stood with dignity, brushed off the front of himself along with the back and headed down the hallways making sure extra measures were taken in account. To the person he would have to check in with at the office meant detention for another week if he were late again. What a complicated world he lived in._

_Skidding in front of room 567, the boy took in a huge gulp of air prior to…_

"_I am so sorry!" He apologized, swinging the door open to an alert classroom that listened to the teacher half of the time and paid attention to their gossip with the second half; they didn't even try to hide it as a result of the door being roughly opened all of their heads swooshed to the boy's side of the room, intently listening._

"_Bou, you're late." The teacher stated, shuffling through his desk papers while the class acted as though they were reading chapter four when the teacher glanced at them to make sure this was an 'a' 'b' conversation-- even though their argument would be center stage._

"_I know, Sir, and I'm so sorry." The blonde admitted, bowing again before taking an antagonizing step forward, but quickly took it back when the teacher flashed him a cold look. _

"_Bou, tell me why you were late for the third time this week." The teacher intimidated Bou, he intimidated him to the point where Bou had to take a small breather before entering the classroom on apologetic terms._

"_I-I accidentally set my alarm for the wrong time this morning, Mr. Solemn." Bou gave a hurried bow, again trying to avoid the sadistic grin on Mr. Solemn's face and the unique way he leant forward, hands behind his back._

"_Wrong time? What kind of clock do you have.. Digital?" Mr. Solemn took a confident step forward and Bou took a frightened one back. _

"_Yes, Sir." Bou admitted, reddening from his neck to the apple of his cheeks._

"_And you couldn't set your alarm for the proper time?" Another intimidating step forward._

"_N- No, Sir." Bou bowed sharply closely on tears. This situation was being blown way out of proportion. He didn't mean to be late again, it just happened. Why couldn't the teacher let him be? Bou knew he was different, but that doesn't mean to discriminate. Yes, the teacher did discriminate. He discriminated against Bou's rebellion about wearing a girl's uniform instead of a boy's. It's merely a stage, Bou repeated, a stage in which he never really grew out of since he was a lad._

"_So, you set your little pink digital alarm clock for the wrong time?" When the blonde rose from his 90-degree angle to find his face directly across from the brutal teacher's._

"_It-- It seem--s so-o." Bou stuttered almost mutely. "Bu-t-t-.. I- I seriously didn'-t mean to."_

"_Oh, the little girly blonde didn't mean to, how touching." There was a hint of sarcasm on the teacher's breath rather than anger, then with his next sentence, Bou had to take another step behind him for protection. "Well, guess what little Blondie?"_

"_W-what?" No matter how much willpower Bou considered he had, the blonde had to answer the teacher out of 'respect' and 'fear' even though the teacher didn't want the blonde to speak, at all._

"_OFFICE! THAT'S WHAT!" Not only Bou jumped to the unexpected shout from the ill-tempered man. _

"_Bu-t-t… I didn'-t.. you- do-n't understan-d-d!" Bou retaliated. He took an unsure step toward the furious teacher, yet quickly stepped backwards when Mr. Solemn practically started stomping to Bou._

_Only the bag hanging off of Bou's shoulder made a sound in the room. From the fly on the window, to the slight intake of breath everyone shared, the room universally shushed, waiting for the next move. Except, the only person that did not share the same interest was Bou. "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!?"_

"_Please!" Bou begged in a partial scream. Being frightened of one person had to be an understatement. _

"_GO TO THE OFFICE, BOU!" The teacher spat, a finger jerking at the still opened door._

"_S-Sir!"_

"_DO AS I SAY!" He demanded, stomping one more time put himself nearly on top of the feminine creature._

_Bou stumbled backwards as he leaned too far back, "Please, you-u don't-t --stand!" _

"_OUT!" The teacher screamed beginning his stomping once more and causing Bou to backup, unknowingly, into the hallway where a door slammed in front of a reddened face._

_Bou sniffed. His nose started stinging, eyes felt dry, and the need to wail popped into his throat; alternatively Bou straightened himself up, pointed his body in the direction of the office, where he stared down the long passageway, recapping on what just happened. He gasped. Embarrassment clouded his judgment on knowing where and why he walked down the hallway to go somewhere, where he would be ridiculed, considered over, last but not least, not only being scorned for being a disruption to the classroom, but for being late for the third time in a row._

_He mindlessly walked, placing the bag on his chest, where his chin dug in the cloth; his nose barely sticking out. "What am I to do?" He whispered to the bag, staring tearfully at the ground until…_

_Two ows sounded through the hallway by two small men who were both laying on the ground, wondering what had happened. It was Bou, who first assisted the situation. He skimmed around his settings. He noted his bag being a few inches away from him, a pounding situation protruding downward, and a boy stirring across from him. "Oh!" Bou, ignoring the pain, stood straight up to help the other. "I'm so sorry!" He admitted, folding the skirt under his legs to help the rousing boy._

_  
"No, it's okay…" The other tried to reassure the blonde while Bou maneuvered a hand under the stranger's back, gesturing for him to sit up._

"_No! I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm so sorry!" Bou bowed, but quickly rose to aid a brunette._

"_No, I pro--," The brunette rubbed his forehead with the edge of his palm followed by easing his eyes open to see the magnificent blonde intensely staring at him. "Oh, you're a chick," he chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the gentlemen and apologize to you?" _

_Bou, who unsurprisingly was used to the simple mistake, only gently smiled down, blushing. "No," he admitted barely audible to the other._

"_I know this isn't the proper time, but…" leaning on an elbow, the boy extended a free hand, "I'm Miku."_

"_Oh," Bou thought about taking his hand in an equal greeting, but when he saw that boy smile, Bou smiled even wider, taking his hand. "I'm Bou!" He gave a gesture of a bow._

"_Nice to meet you, Bou." Miku admitted, "But…" He darted his eyes to his feet up to their still clasped hands._

"_Sorry!" The blonde exclaimed, jerking their hands apart._

_Miku lightly laughed, "You shouldn't have done that." He laughed again, stealing back the blonde's hand._

_Bou, who shamefully had his head lowered, suddenly bolted out of his blushing trance to exclaim, "What!?" His eyes slowly sliding downward to their hands._

"_I do need help still getting up."_

_In response, Bou gave a small, nervous, chuckle. "Of--f c-ourse." He tried to sound calm about his situation; blushed cheeks, sweaty palms, involuntary quivering, and dry mouth-- but when Miku looked at him and grinned… Bou instantly became breathless, forgetting his name all together. Although the blonde was almost positive Miku would forget his name the second he left, he still tried to remember it, for the one hope Miku would ask again._

"_Bou, thank you," Miku brushed himself from the back._

_It took the blonde a few seconds to realize he help the young man to his feet. "Oh, you-you're welcome," the nervous stutter revealing itself more than the nervous blush. Miku said his name, Miku said a nobody's name. Bou gave two rows of teeth for that._

"_Well, I'm all ready late for my first class, so thank you." He gave a simple nod accompanied by a squeeze on Bou's shoulder._

"_Mm," Bou gave a gesture of a bow to the boy who walked away from him; maybe out of his life completely._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter iii**_

_Besides the pleasant bump in the hallway, Bou stood terrified in front of two huge glass doors. He made out people busying themselves with senseless paperwork, but there was one person staring at him right back. The person took a few steps to open the door in her gray business suit attire and her face stern; so stern in fact, Bou thought the strict woman to never had smile in her young life. Yet, there's always the opinion of 'Smiles and hugs never feed the family'. She had been their assistant principal for as long as the blonde could remember. Each year brought a new, unnecessary, rule to their all ready firm school which all the kids wanted to revolt against. No one stood up against the raging woman in her power, no one. All the teachers love their authority over the young minds also the new, secluded, lounge. Even though the students could overthrow her in any way, they were intimidated by her, plain and simple._

_Her eyes carried a blizzard that gave Bou a chill from the top of his back down to his toes. Standing there, in the open, left him vulnerable to all her demeaning opinions on his appearance or twisted snarls she passively shared whenever the blonde spoke. Yet, nothing compared to the sudden stillness in the air after the assistant principal coiled her fingers around the glass door's handle. Bou bestowed a mighty gulp of panicky thoughts, staring into the worsening blizzard._

"_You, again?" She spat, the back of her hands placed in an aggravated way on her waist._

"_Yes, ma'am." Bou gave it all he had not to stutter and with the two words, it worked perfectly except the nervous habit of breaking away from direct eye contact then directing it to the floor._

"_What are you here for?" Her head wagged side to side in more annoyance even though Bou couldn't see her obvious hate since his eyes begged for something other than his feet to stare at._

"_I, uh, was late to class, again," he admitted almost mutely, taking a step back, pending for her disgusted behaviour. _

"_You do know what that means, right?" Her voice had a surprisingly tiredness touch causing the blonde to timidly glance at the woman, then right back down to his girly dressed feet. "I'll have to give you detention." Her voice transformed firmly, like in one wave she had changed to an almost sympathetic person then to one who could see Bou dying at the side of the street and only pass by without a first glance._

_Of course, the blonde understood every bit of this-- Not because of her poor judgment of character, but the fact she made the worse possible punishment to a child that the law would permit. "I - I understand."_

"_Don't stutter! Makes you weaker than what you are!" She indicated._

"_I'm sorry," he gulped to slow down his stuttering, "Mrs. Kokeen." He finished off, bowing._

"_That's more I like it," she congratulated issuing him an discreet clue it was enough by a simple nod of her head._

"_Hello, Mrs. Kokeen! How's your husband doing?" A familiar voice came from behind the blonde. No, it couldn't be HIM… It would be too convenient for Miku to show randomly._

_However, holding his breath, the blonde eased around to find men's dress shoes, the regular straight legged pants to the school's blazer who had the face Bou wondered if he would see again. "Miku!" he whispered as his pale face turned a deep red._

_Bou could have swore Miku's eyes flashed his way and gave a twinkle of security before working on Mrs. Kokeen. "Oh, he's doing wonderful! Thank you for asking, Miku!" Mrs. Kokeen's facial expression changed from the cold-hearted something to a delighted woman, enjoying a cup of tea._

"_I'm so glad to hear that!" Miku indicated, bowing once to the woman almost having an obvious façade of sarcasm. _

_Of course, the bossy lady was oblivious to Miku's sarcastic ways. She told everyone by gleaming to the six words Miku responded by habit, not caring. "Miku, that's so wonderful of you to care!"_

_Shy or not, Bou's face fell to her cheery self. Was this woman for real? One minute she's handing out a horrifying punishment then congratulating a guy on how he can manipulate adults. Wow, Bou didn't think there could be another woman like this. Especially one Bou gambled about becoming a blossoming sadist. _

"_And who is this woman?" Bou broke out of his thoughts to find the bitter eyes and the inviting eyes staring at him. He bolted from one pair to another, shaking his head for no reason at all._

"_Oh, this one is getting detention for being late to class the third time in a row." Mrs. Kokeen informed the dusty brown head, crossing her arms. Both boys knew she attempted to seem professional._

"_Now, Mrs. Kokeen," Miku scolded very politely, shaking his finger at her nose. Her face backed away slightly while her eyes went crossed trying to look at the finger. "You know how many times I was late for class and you never gave me detention!"_

_Bou gasped, staring at the boldness Miku revealed stark naked. He talked like that to a TEACHER? The blonde admired the way his new friend stuck up for him, especially with the courageous hug he gave, swinging the assistant principal's back to face Bou while he made eye contact and mouthed, "RUN" then winked._

_However, the blonde's conscious swelled. '**Bou, do you want to runaway from the problem YOU created? Do you want to regret this later? Don't you see yourself sitting alone, waiting for the worst?**' But, the blonde straightened out his back when Miku's smile embraced his unsure head. One nod, Bou slowly backed away, making sure to take each step lightly and the heel of his shoe not even making contact to the tiled floor. As he rounded their hugging bodies, Miku complied and shifted the woman to another angle. A mutual smile between the two and Bou took off on his tip toes, lifting the bag above his head with one hand while Miku prolonged distracting the beast._

_A staggering number of feet between the two amazing people, Bou slanted on another wall, breathing heavily but not about being out of breath from running fast and hard but about the Miku's heroic adventure saving him. Detecting a smile on his flushed face, Bou kicked off the wall, walking to second period almost in a dreamy trance concerning a white knight saving a princess._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter iv**_

_Before the silly little blonde boy reached homebound, he felt as if he were floating on air. Not the thick, smog, air-- the air in which people would worship if they had a chance. No one could rightfully describe its lightness and peaceful nature; it would stay unknown to the public who will or had never experienced the glory we call, "Cloud 9". Bou was too tightly wrapped in reminiscing of Miku's rescue mission to give any attention to his one friend or his brother. Both asked what the blonde was busying himself with, but the entirety of their answer was not what they wanted._

"_Oh, nothing." Bou would reply, staring off into a black hole that no one could see except himself._

_They would sigh then walk away without another word. What's the use of a daydreaming boy? There weren't any uses for them; they were distracted beyond any help. And that's exactly how Bou's peers reacted to his sudden interest in an imaginary force field called 'puppy love'. Except, by the second week of no direct communication, one of Bou's friends causally leaned against a neighboring locker, pushing up his glasses and timidly spoke. _

"_Bou, um, who is the person?" He never exactly looked his friend precisely, he kept his gaze to the floor, a light shade of pink creeping from the baseline of his neck._

"_What're talking about?" He dodged around the answer, occupying his own eyes with random, unneeded, school supplies. _

"_Bou, I know there'--"_

"_Kanon," Bou interrupted, closing his locker and looked right at his friend who was still staring at his uninteresting feet. "Listen, there's no one, I promise." He smiled, patting Kanon's shoulder. And there would be no one. A slim chance was the only chance Bou had of ever seeing Miku again; especially if THE beast had her way._

"_Bou, I--" Kanon began his transfixed nature with Bou's hand on his shoulder. HIS shoulder._

_DING. DING. DING. The warning bell rang through the school building._

"_Oh, I'm sorry Kanon," he bowed, "but mid-terms are here! After Christmas break, we have a new schedule!" He waved a goodbye while continuing to walk away._

"_Yeah," Kanon whispered, dragging his body off of the locker only to walk to his next class, alone._

_Bou jogged to class, shifting the weight of his shoulder bag to the other shoulder. He did not want to be late to fourth block. Under no circumstance would he be late again and be sent to that woman. Miku helped him out of a very severe penalty. But, what if Miku miraculously showed up again, assisting the situation like a true knight would? The blonde hair jumbled around. No, all of that was a coincidence, nothing more and nothing less. Bou would simply have to wait out seeing Miku again… Maybe fate had other plans._

_Bou sighed, walking into English._

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------_

_The walk home would not be a pleasant one, or so Bou thought when he stood at the entering glass doors, all ready shivering from the stinging wind. How could he be as stupid as to leave a very important piece of clothing AT HOME, again, when it's below the freezing point. Maybe Bou could have been warmed by the heat of the exams--They were, well, the blonde stared at his math exam while the numbers began blurring and jumbling to create a monster. A monster who frightened Bou enough, by its roars of threats, he just stared blankly at the paper until the last bell of the day rang. He sighed, tearfully watching the numbers rearrange themselves back to their original position. Although the teacher promised Bou could come back during winter break, after a long talk, then retake the test instead of failing--Bou felt more than worthless. He had to receive help from a memorable boy as a substitute for taking charge of his own fate--and now he found himself helpless again, needing the teacher to become his saviour._

_In spite of everything, why did he have to be so helpless? Bou considered he might have replicated a newborn and its mother. Him existing as the baby, the world his mother. The mother would feed him, cloth him, bathe him, sing him to sleep, and all short of making sure his surroundings were safe to walk through. Bou was one step ahead of that game. Waiting for everyone to leave belonged in his habit bin. The blonde enjoyed roaming the empty halls, taking each step at its own leisure. Not a soul in sight to stare at him, snarl at him, or to shout ugly names at him while he shoved past every person, eager to disappear. No, he shined, blinding every imaginary person he created who rooted him on. Yet… Standing outside left him hollow inside. No jacket reminded him of how dependent he really was. Without the reminder, he fell behind, left to feel each limb of his body numb. Perhaps counting snowflakes wasn't such a grand idea prior to going to school if it left him cold half of the time. Bou watched his sigh float in the wind as he gestured a foot to land in the inch of snow except a sudden warmth enveloped on his shoulders. Bou's eyebrows furrowed while he turned around and spotted Kanon smiling at him. _

"_I-I, noticed you don't have a jacket, Bou." Kanon revealed, shyly looking down as he pushed up his glasses with one finger._

_Bou beamed, dependent or not, at least one person cared enough to share their personal belongings. And that set of a bell in the blonde's head. There were people out there to lend a helping hand, regardless of the situation. Regardless of how needy the person actually felt within. "Aw, Kanon!" Bou, without a thought, jumped on Kanon, embracing him as a friend. _

_Kanon blushed furiously, patting Bou's back as he stuttered the sentence, "Y-Y-ou-'re Wel-l-l-come."_

_The blonde squeezed him tighter, "You're so nice, Kanon."_

_Although Bou had no feelings to his one friend, although Bou found no attraction to Kanon as Kanon obviously did to him, although Bou did this out of the spur of the moment-- Bou's lips pressed against Kanon's cheek prior to Bou stepping away, asking something about Kanon accompanying him home since he only had a long sleeved shirt. Of course, Kanon had only heard every other word since BOU KISSED his CHEEK. HIS cheek. No one else's. Still, why do moments like these always end in tragedy?_

_Touching the christened part of his cheek, Kanon stepped down, following Bou down the sidewalk. Small conversation left their lips as they walked home in a hurry. How they did on exams, classes next semester, and excruciating details on pranks they would act out on certain people in the school expanded the "small talk" to a full discussion barely distracting them from the cold. Topic after topic, white exhale after white exhale led them to a stopping point: Bou's apartment._

_As they stood in front of the third floor door, Bou suddenly felt the chill around his skirted ankles and Kanon's red nose. He gave a startled, "Oh!" before quickly dropping his bag to the ground then stripping himself of the coat, realizing how selfish he had been. Not only was Kanon shivering, but the regular stutter developed from the cold, not the nerves. "I'm sorry, Kanon!" Bou exclaimed, bowing as a shiver ran down his spine._

"_No, n-n-o it's-s okay.." Kanon reassured Bou, draping the coat over his shoulder followed by squeezing the sides to enclose his torso in it. Kanon shook from the sudden warmth._

"_No, I mean it. You didn't have to give me your jacket!" Bou bowed again, his insides shivering._

"_I said it was okay." Kanon meant to say with authority, but lowered his gave to the dressed feet._

_Bou smiled, giving the awkward silence a few more seconds to plague over them ahead of asking, "Would you like to come in? I mean, I have to pay you back, and it is really cold out here." He offered, extending a hand while the other busied itself by holding the schoolbag. _

_Kanon's expression transformed from droopy to wide eyed. "What?!"_

_Bou stayed quiet for a moment, recapping the way Kanon cried out a 'what'. The word disguised itself with surprise and jumpiness; yet behind all of that, the 'what' had something Bou couldn't describe, a certain something… If he could only think of the word… "You've been here before. Why act so surprised?" He asked, jingling the keys into the lock until he heard a click. By a turn of the knob, then a kick from a foot, the door creaked open, having hot air blow momentarily on the boys._

_The black hair jumbled around insanely, "No! It's not that!" He tried to persuade Bou, except it didn't work. Bou laughed, walked behind Kanon, and pushed the boy who reluctantly went into the apartment building, still shaking his head no._


	5. Chapter 5

#**_Chapter v_**

_You can have the world if you try hard enough, just reach out and take it. Except, having authority over an entire planet could cave-in any man after a certain amount of time. Taking on one thing, and sliding past another are two very different things. Anyone can take someone's hand and confess love, but everyone can also take someone's hand and just say love. There are several ways to interpret how people felt. They could stare at you so intently you felt their eyes stabbing you with their watchful rays. Whether they were staring out of suspicion, or simply watched to be there when you fall, no one can interpret. People believe what they want most out of life. Some taking the passive signs out of love while the true declaration was right in front of their eyes._

"_Kanon, is there something wrong?" Bou asked, laying a steaming mug across from Kanon's jittery hands._

"_Oh, no!' He answered quickly, voice cracking slightly._

_The blonde smiled, "Are you sure? You keep staring at me like you need something." Bou calmly explained, taking his mug into his thawing hands--only to feel the warmth spread from fingertip to palm. He sighed in relief._

"_Oh, no! I was just.. Just.." Words failed the boy as he tested his brain for any sign of an excuse for staring at his friend. Kanon honestly did not mean to. However many times he tried to force his gaze away, it kept darting right back on the blonde._

"_If you have something to say, you can say it," Bou chuckled. "You act like you've never met me."_

"_Mhm," Kanon agreed, shyly wrapping his own thawing fingers against the warm, solid glass. He thanked God he finally had something to occupy his eyes other than the ground, or shoes._

_Silence patted their awkward shoulders as one began blowing on the scolding liquid while the other scooted the cup back and forth. Neither of them knew what to say, Kanon sat there ever so often glimpsing at Bou while the blonde unknowingly sipped at his hot cocoa, trying to catch words to make coherent sentences. However, it was not until the wind started howling from outside that Bou and Kanon gave each other a curious glance. Finally, Bou felt the tension of the question lift from his shoulders. Looking into Kanon's eyes hinted they were both thinking on the same train of thought. _

"_Kanon," Bou started, wondering if he could finish, "would you like…" he trailed off, staring into Kanon's tense eyes. Could he do it? "Like some more hot cocoa?" Bou asked, pointing to the nonempty cup while he mentally kicked himself. _

"_No, Bou, but thank you for asking." Kanon weakly flashed his friend a smile before occupying his eyes to the filled mug. _

"_Oh, okay," the blonde said, barely audible over a pen drop. _

_Their nervous habits overtook their body as they had nothing more to say or wanted to say. Except something helpful bounded through the door, greeting them with a smile in his voice. "Hello!" He yelled._

"_Hello, Teruki!" Bou welcomed, tilting his body to one side attempting to catch one glimpse of Teruki and another person who gave a muffled cough._

"_I brought over a friend since I didn't want him walking in the weather." He called out from the living room where he mumbled something about taking a coat._

"_Do mom and dad know?" Bou asked, grabbing his hot cocoa to greet the new friend._

"_No, but I'll call them don'—"_

_-CRASH-_

_Glass shattered across the living room floor, surrounding socked feet which led up to a blonde's stunned face. The whole apartment paused to the shattered mug, wondering what someone should do. Teruki stopped hanging coats in the closet, Kanon jumped out of his seat, and the friend gently smiled saying, "Someone needs a towel and a broom." He chuckled, forcing Bou out of his trance and gave a few low bows with a cherry red face._

"_Miku, don't tease Bou." Teruki jokingly scalded as he closed the closet door, carrying that cheesy smile everyone hated, but it seemed Miku gave a cheesier smile right back._

"_I'm sorry," Miku bowed towards the silent blonde, "it's just," he paused quickly glancing at Teruki who started to his room. "It's just; I always seem to cause you embarrassment of some sort." He laughed walking down the small hallway after Teruki had called him, Bou watching his every move until before he had reached the doorway, Miku stopped, inclined his head toward Bou and said, "Ms. Kokeen won't bother you again; not as long as I'm around," he winked, disappearing behind a wall._

_The moment seemed to last an eternity through Bou's stunned eyes. What happened in less than a minute lasted forever, forever until Kanon stepped into the room asking Bou where the towels might be. _

_The mess had been cleared through towels and blushing. Since Bou had been preoccupied, Kanon did most of the work. It was, by no means, because Bou was selfish, it was because the boy in the apartment distracted him. No, not Kanon or his brother, Teruki, but Miku and what he had said. "Ms. Kokeen won't bother you again; not as long as I'm around." What could he have meant? Was Miku watching out for him? Did Miku care whether he had to suffer the boot camp ways of their Kokeen? Or, did he say it to make Bou feel less embarrassed? Either way, the blonde felt the best he had since the small bump in the hallway. _

"_Bou, I'm going … going to head home now." Kanon admitted dropping the wet, brown towel into the sink._

"_Ok…" Bou started forgetting about the howling wind and keeping his mind on the random laughter from Teruki's bedroom. "I'll walk you to the door," he said a level above a whisper. Everything on his mind was accumulating in massive layers like the snow outside. Yet, through all the selfish thoughts and replies, Bou immediately shut the door to the blistering air, mentally kicking himself for not recalling the winter. _

_Kanon, confused, said, "Bou, I'm going to need to go…" He pointed out with his head staring at the floor._

_Bou's head deflated with a long sigh. "Teruki!" Bou called out for his brother._

"_Yes!" Teruki answered, popping out his head from the doorway._

"_Kanon is staying the night, too!"_

"_Okay!" A door clicked behind the understanding answer._

"_What?" Kanon asked flashing his gaze to Teruki's door then Bou._

"_Kanon, it's really bad weather, no way you're going out in that." Bou gave a small smile taking a step up then draping an arm over Kanon's shoulders soon leading them out of the living room. "I'll call the parents while you get the sleeping mat out of my closet, just like old times, and fix it that special way you like it." Bou stopped short of his room giving Kanon a slight squeeze to his shoulders before leaving the boy to his own dazed thoughts. _

"_Yeah, Kanon and Miku..." Bou croaked while his throat suddenly dried up. "No, they'll be gone whenever you come home; I'm sorry the airports were backed up. How's grandma doing anyway?" He cleared his throat, rubbing the front of it in small circles. "Oh, that's good. Hope to see you soon, too. Love you too. Bye." _

_Bou sighed in relief when the phone went back to the receiver. All was well in the household and the only two things he had left to worry about were Miku and exams. Yet, exams were farther down his list than Miku. The wondrous boy was in his apartment, breathing his air, stepping in places Bou had stepped, and spoke to him. Oh God, above all spoke to him as an equal. Bou sighed again, love sick. Things were looking up for him and he was not going to ruin it; instead, the blonde decided on something as he walked back to his room… _

"_You cannot like those types of girls. I know you have to like some chest and long legs." Teruki's voice laughed from the room._

"_I do! I'm not superficial!" Miku argued smacking something within the room, Bou guessed it to be his brother. _

"_Ow! But, girls having their own style? HA!" Bou gasped, this is what he had been waiting for._

_Closing in on Teruki's door, he quietly laid his ear against it, a socked foot lifting in the air as the other made sure his balance was agreeable. "Seriously, as long as they have their own style, I don't care. Well, they do have to be cute." Miku said, laughing through most of the admittance. _

"_You're a pussy." Teruki poked fun at Miku, "I know I like meat on the chest and legs to wrap around my body."_

_There was a moment's pause before Miku replied in monotone, "You're sick."_

"_And you're gay."_

"_Oh, nice one the—" Bou heard no more. He lifted himself from the large, white block and bit his lip in thought. _

_Eyes shifting side to side, Bou stood there, blocking out the rest of their conversation. What else they had to say did not matter to Bou. The decision he had made just a few minutes ago now had more meaning. "Miku," he whispered smiling to himself before turning his socked feet into his room, greeting Kanon as he sat a chair in front of the window hating how the sun melted below the city lights. _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter vi**_

_The nights are long and days are short, especially when you hear a certain voice from the next room. Two voices, in fact, laughing and carrying on without a care in the world; without someone to care for. That's why Bou simply laid on his bed, still in the school's uniform, thinking about how the plan and how to put it in motion. He racked his brain for ideas of how to be the perfect one for Miku, to be there when he fell and to be there when he needed someone… That special someone to care for. Alas, each time he heard Teruki and Miku howl, he would be discontent with what he was doing. Seeing how he was lying to Miku, tricking him into liking him for all the wrong reasons, but there is always an alternate choice; whether Bou knew it or not._

"_Goodnight, Bou," Kanon piped up, throwing Bou out of deep thought into his friend._

"_Goodnight," he said carelessly, turning on his side to think some more._

_Kanon sighed, eyes landing on his sleeping bag to Bou's back. He looked as if he were making a decision of a lifetime. Blush crept up from the top of his school uniform's collar to the very apple of his cheeks. Alas, when Bou sighed heavily, showing immense aggravation, Kanon thought no further and scooted into the warmth of slumber land. _

_Silence is golden, if you like it. What if you were the type to be used to falling asleep to the sound of cars, people from the top floor yelling to people on the sidewalk? What if you were the type to never lived life by silence? What if you suddenly found yourself praying all of it would stop? The noise: Talking, bustling, laughing, talking… discussing, all of it to halt for you to be able to close your eyes and stop tossing and turning. Alas, Bou found nothing answering, nothing helping his mental anguish. He needed to sleep, to be rested for the test he had to take the next day… But Miku's laughter kept him in the reality he dreaded every waking moment of his life. It helped him relive the trickery he was going to do._

_Sighing, the blonde sat up, rubbing his eyes of all fatigue. How long he had been thinking was a mystery he didn't care to solve. All the blonde cared to know was the fact the school uniform was still on his body, still a problem. He sighed once more, patting the gray skirt across his straight legs. Then, it occurred to him, being girly! Maybe he liked the clean, bright, polished types who giggle with whatever he said. Every nice guy needs an ego booster! Yes, that's it. In order to win over Miku, Bou had to first, be the 'girl' Miku dreamed of… But, what about the whole guy thing? Isn't that a flaw in the little one's plans? No, he was not about to stop when he had came this far, no way. _

_Bou beamed, standing off his bed, stepping over the snoring Kanon, and into his drawers to look for nightclothes. The Christmas break was going to be a long one as he waited the day back to school, for the first time in his life._

"_BOU, get up!" Teruki yelled from the doorway startling more than Bou._

"_AHH, they're out to get me!" Kanon screamed, bolting straight in the air as Teruki continued to pound on the door._

_Bou's eyes fluttered open, unsure where to look first. He smiled sweetly at Kanon who turned beat red and then the door where Teruki started singing about dreaming of a white Christmas. The blonde groaned, hating how he was woken up from a immensely nice dream. "What?" Bou sleepily asked, turning to his other side the cover going over his head. _

"_Bou, get up!" Teruki persisted, this time opening the door instead of annoyingly pounding it._

"_What for?" He asked, grumpy as ever._

"_The streets are clear! We can take them home!"_

_Although Teruki had no idea Bou's face fell under the covers, Bou made sure Teruki knew the annoyance in his voice, "And you woke me up to tell me that?" He asked through gritted teeth._

"_Yes," No, Teruki didn't answer, but Miku did from the vacant doorway._

_Bou's eyes snapped open at the sound of HIS voice--the father of all voices. His head felt light as his heart began hammering away at his ribcage. What should he do, come out of hiding? Bou gripped the covers tighter. What can he do? Miku would have to see him out of his little cocoon sometime, but this was different, this time he wouldn't look as beautiful as a butterfly. He had no transformation, yet. "Fine, I'll be out in a minute." He answered, a little shaken._

"_No, we have to have breakfast before we leave!" Teruki said, taking cover in each hand and jerking away the shell. The home Bou made so Miku didn't seem him like this. Oh God, not like this._

_Bou cringed, going into fetal position. The sun was harsh and he felt all eyeballs prying through his skin, his pale, manly skin. "Teruki!" Bou exclaimed, shielding himself from the light and the rays of THEIR eyes especially one in particular. He was sure he heard Miku gasp. _

"_C'mon, we eat then you can get dressed then we can all leave together, as a big happy non-related family!" Teruki exclaimed receiving a bit of a laugh from Miku._

"_That's so redundant, Teruki," Miku said as if he were hiding an awkward moment for himself. _

"_Yeah, well, your face is!" Teruki so "cleverly" said walking away from the pathetic blonde._

"_Bou, if you mind, I can always walk home by myself." Kanon spoke up so randomly Teruki looked up at the ceiling as if God were speaking to them. Bou, on the other hand, gradually let his eyes see the bright world. _

"_Sorry, Kanon, I didn't mean for you to think I didn't want to walk you home," he apologized, rolling to his back where he found a fully clothed Teruki at the edge of his bed, playing with something on his table and a school uniformed Miku reading "The Rules" on his wall. What could be more embarrassing than… "Oh no!" Bou whispered to himself, finally noticing he was shirtless. Now, he was certain Miku gasped when Teruki shredded his cocoon. _

"_No, it's fine, Bou… I can." He said, kneeling at the end of the sleeping bag, preparing to roll it back up._

"_Kanon, it's fine. Go get something to eat," Bou calmly, trying his VERY best to stay calm. This was not the way he wanted to tell Miku he was a guy and this was not the way to be explaining why he had the sacred rules on his room wall._

"_Are you sure, I can go, I don't live very far away," he explained, halfway done with the sleeping bag._

"_Kanon," Bou smiled, legs dangling off the side of the bed, "go get something to eat."_

_Kanon's eyes bulged out before he distracted them with the finishing touch to the sleeping bag while he continually pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Okay, Bou," he tweaked a smile, never looking up at Bou again._

_Miku, who watched the whole scene, smiled. "So, Bou, what's this?" He asked, pointing a thumb behind him to the poster. _

_Bou barely glanced at what Miku was pointing at, because he didn't need to know. Everyone always asked about those set of rules. But … this time it's different. MIKU asked, not some average Joe. Turning apple red, Bou looked down to his pajama-ed legs and stuttered, "N-N-Nothing." He tried flashing the other a smile, but found more comfort in his feet and running his fingers through his "sleep" hair. The blonde could just feel the tangles, feeling the rat's nest Miku was laying eyes on._

"_Trust me," Teruki started still playing with some type of toy, "it really is nothing."_

"_They're rules, I made when I was little." Bou defended himself. No, his rules weren't "nothing." They were his, his to treasure, and his to live by. Teruki knew nothing, he was dumb to the fact Bou circled his boring life around those "nothings."_

"_Well," Teruki began, showing immense frustration in his voice, "I'm hungry." _

"_Me too," Miku agreed, rubbing his stomach._

"_Bou?" Teruki asked, finally turning around from the table to show a Rubik's Cube fumbling in his hands._

"_I-I-I'll m-meet you there in a bit," he answered, taking in a long, deep breath—head never popping up to glance at them._

"_Okay," Miku said, grabbing Teruki's arm to leave the room._

_Bou waited till the footsteps were heard shuffling around in the kitchen before poking his head up to find the room completely empty. "Kanon?" Bou asked, turning his head to one side then the other. "Kanon?" Bou questioned again, this time standing. He found nothing but himself._

_The room was empty: No one to look at Bou and no one to talk to Bou. He was finally alone and through the solitude, Bou sat back down on his bed, blowing a piece of hair out of his face. He heard faint laughter coming from the kitchen followed by a familiar sorry. Bou gently smiled, slowly leaning onto his back for a moment of relaxation, for a moment where his heart would stop ramming into his chest, and for a moment of preparing himself for what he was about to do._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter vii**

_The way Bou had felt for the situation became almost instinct compared to the bare sky. No clouds hung low or even high. . . The sky was completely pale blue, flawless of any blemish. Much to the extreme disappointment of Bou's beliefs, there wouldn't be a snow fall that day, or any of the following ones. Yet, a person could always hope, couldn't they?_

_"Bou, you dressed yet!" Teruki yelled out from the other side of the apartment as a dish clanked against marble, Bou guessed it to be the counter._

_The blonde didn't answer back, for some reason he thought it useless. Instead, the young boy silently turned his eyes away from the door and directed them back to the window, sighing to the nothing he could count. And, somehow, someway, Bou whispered, "Yeah," dragging his eyes away from the wet streets and clumped snow to his tennis shoes and jeans, all the way up to his long-sleeved black shirt only to flash his eyes to the door. _

_"BOU!" Teruki called out from the door; angrily pounding it._

_Bou drooped his head in anguish, wanting nothing better to go ahead and redo that day. Instead, he ran his fingers through a doggy ear, closing his eyes to the sound of his voice, "I'm coming!"_

_Closing in on the kitchen had a different meaning than all the other times. Bou's heart seemed to gradually beat faster and faster until he had to place his hand on his chest; taking slow, deep breaths. His pace slowed . . . slower and slower he went, finally stopping at the doorway. The blonde flattened his body against the wall, listening to them talk. Teruki laughing, Kanon's timid chuckle met Bou's ears and . . . He heard Miku's voice. Although Bou couldn't make out what he was saying over his erratic breathing, he did feel his face become red, warmth spreading from his neck to the apple of his cheeks._

_"Okay," he whispered to himself, hand pressing more into his chest. "I can do this," he "calmly" whispered, chest rising and falling gradually prior to him taking a step up, facing the three boys. _

_Bou bit his bottom lip as Teruki glanced at him as he laid down a plate in front of a red-faced Kanon and one in front of a very shocked Miku. "Good morning," Teruki piped up, scooting out his chair after Miku had turned directly down to his food and Kanon now looking over his shoulder, timidly smiling._

_"Good morning, Bou," Kanon said after Bou had turned directly to the floor, ashamed of himself._

_"Good morning," Bou mumbled, stepping up to the kitchen table, sitting in front of a bowl of cereal; not even taking one small glance to the boy he had everything to explain and not a word to begin with._

_Breakfast was as it always had been—dull and uneventful. Although there were two young men replacing what Teruki and Bou referred to as "Mom and Dad," it seemed the same. Well, in the blonde boy's eyes, that is. He clinked his spoon against his bowl full of cereal as he lazily laid his head upon his palm. He could feel the weight of his doggy ears shift to one side before his eyes roamed around the table, examining the surroundings. Teruki who sat across from him, stuffed as much as he could in his mouth, probably talking about cars, Bou didn't know or cared to know. Miku who sat on his left, languidly flipped his toast to one side then the other while inflating his cheeks, slowly sighing out the compressed air. Kanon who sat on Bou's right, only folded his arms in front of a plate of untouched eggs and toast, unknowingly pushing up his black rimmed glasses ever so often as if in deep thought. However, as they all seemed uninterested in each other had been the complete opposite of what roamed in the teens' minds. Although Bou could not give or identify what the other three were talking or thinking about, he did, for sure, know what he was thinking about. _

_He thought of how Miku only glanced up at him from the Kitchen table when he walked in. He thought about how he said, "Good morning," to only Kanon. He thought about Miku refusing to look at him when he stepped in the doorway. And he thought about all the excuses for Miku, but not one of them helped. Bou finally sighed, rotating his spoon to the far end of the bowl before leaning his head on the other palm. _

_"Miku, how come you always seem to get out of trouble?" Teruki suddenly spoke up after a large gulp made Bou roll his eyes and a small chuckle from Miku._

_"What?" Miku rhetorically asked; toast lying dormant under Miku's still fingers._

_"Mrs. Kokeen, how come you always get out of trouble with her?" Teruki explained before taking a huge bite out of his toast._

_Bou's eyes flashed directly at Miku, hands clasping the edge of the table in pure anticipation. He leaned in closer, making sure every word to leave Miku's mouth would pass through his ears. This was something he needed to know, not wanted._

_"Oh," Miku gave an unsure chuckle, now staring only at his toast._

_"Well?" Teruki continued, scrunching the other half of his own toast in his mouth._

_"Teruki, why do you care, honestly?" Miku asked as if angry. _

_The puffed cheek boy shrugged, gulping down a lump. "I just want to know the secret behind the man."_

_"Well, I don't want to say." Answered Miku, going back to flipping around his dried out bread._

_"Whyyy," Teruki cooed, lips pursed as if he were talking to a baby, "she your mommaaaaa…" He drawled, reaching over to pinch Miku's cheek._

_The boy shrugged off Teruki's touch of love, slightly smiling as Bou intensely watched, hoping for an answer. Kanon, on the other hand, only slouched in his seat, glancing between Bou and Miku, sighing. "No, Teruki!" Miku snapped, smacking his friend's hand away, again._

_"C'mon, how bad could it be!?" Teruki continued, giving up all hope of physically making Miku spill the beans._

_"It's just embarrassing," Miku admitted._

_Teruki smiled, food outlining his teeth. "C'mon," he egged, face leaning into Miku, "can't be that bad." He slid his tongue along his row of top teeth._

_Miku grimaced, immediately looking down to his plate again. "I . . ." He started, eyes glancing at Bou from the corner only for a split second. "Well," he stuttered, noticing Bou's cheeks taking on a pink tint. "She owes my mother. That's all I'm saying." He quickly said words barely understandable._

_A moment's silence greeted the four boys, not one of them knowing what to say and how to say it. The way Miku had stalled as long as possible made Bou wonder if it had to do with killing or some magical land, except . . . It was just a favour amongst women. The blonde sighed, long and deep, absently running his fingers through a doggy ear, glancing to see Teruki's reaction. Just as he expected, Teruki looked dumbfounded until he broke into laughter. A hand landing roughly on Miku's shoulder, "You have to be kidding me!" He exclaimed, "How's that embarrassing?"_

_Miku rolled his eyes, "Maybe the reason for the favour," he slowly explained, obviously not wanting to talk about it anymore._

_"Fine, okay," Teruki caught the hint and only flapped a wrist in Miku's direction before his attention turned to Kanon whose eyes instantly widened to the sound of his name. "Hey, Kanon."_

_"Hm?" He asked, eyes darting from Teruki to Miku after they had been watching Bou's attention being stolen away to Miku's answer._

_"Want to go home now?"_

_It took a second or two before he timidly shook his head yes, making a gesture to stand. "Yeah," he whispered, eyes staring at the blonde who he found staring back at him._

_"You coming, Bou?" Teruki asked, jerking his head at Miku who only sat there, ever so often glancing at the blonde._

_"No," he hoarsely whispered, shyly staring down at the cereal that formed with the milk._

_"Why not?" Kanon whispered._

_Bou briefly turned to Kanon but quickly turned downward, answering, "I have to study for the math test I have to make up." He tried at a smile, alas nothing came._

_The blonde watched from his room window as the other three started down the road. He surveyed the way Kanon glanced up at the apartment and the way Teruki had his arm laying on Miku's shoulders while the other arm cut the air, probably trying to get more information from the boy. Bou scratched his head in thought, wondering if he could even concentrate with what happened all in a few hours. Nonetheless, when he heard the floor creak, he suddenly discovered himself sitting at the desk, opening the book on a marked page._

_Breathless and pink-faced, Bou stood in front of the doors, staring at the vacant school. He sucked in a big gulp of air, letting it shiver down his spine. "I bet she's not even here today," Bou whispered to himself, taking off the cap, scarf and unzipping the front of his jacket._

_He had every reason to be nervous, every reason to start barely trembling when his icy fingers touched the freezing metal of the school doors. Mrs. Kokeen could be in there, waiting on him; somehow thwarting his reason for being there, that day. Nonetheless, when his legs led him into the warn air, he sighed in relief, noticing only two people sitting in the office. Twisting his hat and scarf in his hands, Bou silently stood at the entrance, skimming his settings. The school was oddly quiet with no bustling teenagers or overworked teachers. Light was provided by either the office or the sun peeking in through the front. It smelled of cleaning product and mold. However, Bou spotted his reflection in the floor, including those of the office women._

_"May I help you?" One of the older women asked from the doorway, half of her body hanging off the door while the other stayed inside the comfort of her second home._

_Bou's head flashed toward her, the cold still visible on the apple of her cheeks. "Yes ma-ma'am," he stuttered, giving a gesture of a bow._

_"With what?" She pressed on, more of her body peeking into the empty entrance way._

_"I'm here to take a test," Bou replied._

_"Which teacher? I'll give a ring down there."_

_"Oh, thank you," he gestured a bow again. "Mr. Warren."_

_After Bou had timidly shuffled in the classroom, he discovered events happened much like before. Sitting at the table, freezing up to see every problem looked the same as the one above it. Neither studying nor going at it a second time helped any. Head being held up by hands, Bou looked at the clock then to his paper almost in tears. Why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he take the test with ease? He never had a problem before, why now? Yet, when a hand circled an answer, he questioned no more and only hoped for the best of the future._

_Pep talks and dreams can only get you so far in life, or so Bou realized. Doing well on that test became distant and unbelievable to the boy. Walking out of that school with his head bowed only meant defeat. Nonetheless, finding solitude in his room completely washed out every regretful feeling he had. Thinking about all he had to do had been Bou's cure. Arms folded under his head, Bou wiggled his bare feet to the muffled beat of Teruki's music as his plans for the following week were furnished completely. Having courage made the blonde swell, but where the courage came from made the blonde back away slightly. However, rolling over to his side, he smiled to the thought of a smile Miku had shared with him in the fateful bump in the hallway. And that was where Bou decided to go through with what he wanted even _if Miku didn't want him.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter viii**_

_A pink tint flushed the sky as the sun started to rise over the city.__Cars and people all started to wake or honk their horns to the morning traffic; it was the sign of a new day. __However, this new day had a special meaning, a meaning that Bou hated:__A new day of school.__Just thinking about such a regular, dreadful thing made the blonde cringe. __Although the teachers and classes were different, the boy still couldn't fight off the same disgust. __A disgust which made the blonde too distracted to hear anything.__He, in his own solitude, hated how the silence deafened him. __Arms stretched out from his body, the boy laid on his back, legs dangling off the side of his bed._

_The alarm clock on his desk painfully warned Bou the deadline to leave became closer with each second he dawdled on his bed. __Head flopping on the other side, he caught a glimpse of the red numbers warning him five minutes until he HAD to leave.__"No," he whispered, shutting his eyes, arms closing in to his body before he flipped on his side. _

_His stomach hurt, it churned with obvious fright of what the day laid ahead of him.__New classes, new teachers, and new classmates all made the boy squish his eyebrows together.__What if Miku was in one of them?__That would mean acting out phase one of his plans or if Miku wasn't in one of his classes, wouldn't that mean to forget? __He never said goodbye as his brother, Kanon, and Miku walked out of the apartment nor did he finish eating breakfast with them.__As soon as he told Kanon he had to study, the blonde excused himself from the table, quickly walking to his room. __After the door had closed, he leaned on it for strength. _

_Bou flipped to his other side, slightly interrupting his reminiscing, and groaned to the sunlight that had blinded him momentarily.__Yet, as he laid on his opposing side, he still felt the heat, reminding him the time drew closer. __Gently, the boy opened his eyes to the memory revisiting him._

_-------------------------------------------------- _

_When he leaned on the door for strength, he also glimpsed at the paper taped his room wall.__Silently, he walked to the wall, rereading the rules crudely written. All the years they had lived here and all the years he had stared at these "rules" without thinking badly of them. His brother, on the other hand, found them hysterical whether or not Bou cared. Yet, as time went by, it seemed the blonde forgot the meaning and only saw them as a precious memory, instead of morals. He, at that moment, saw them as something else. _

1. ONLY in daylight are you allowed to count the snowflakes.

_Bou grinned._

2. ONLY you are to be in your room as you count.

_He smiled._

3. ALWAYS count alone, not even animals are allowed.

_He covered his mouth in a light laugh._

4. EACH snowflake has to be counted only once.

_The light laugh became a little heavier._

5. YOU can only count the snow falling from the sky, not one that has all ready hit the ground.

_Heavier._

6. ONCE you start counting, you cannot stop.

_Although he laughed, the laugh became slower and slower suddenly just a realized smirk on his lips._

7. ALWAYS try your best.

_All signs of happiness stripped from his face, Bou stood dumbfounded at the rules. __Somehow, this had helped him.__Those sets of rules gave him a realization of what he needed to do . . . Yet, as he heard Teruki laughing quickly followed by Miku, he paused, not even breathing. __"Okay," he whispered, giving a minute or so to thought, "I'll do it." He finished, walking over to the window, noticing three boys walking down the street._

_-------------------------------------------------- __  
_

_Nevertheless, staring at the rules now, he had second thoughts.__Although he came to reality with a smile on his face, Bou couldn't help but regret promising himself to tell Miku what he felt for him._

_DING_

_DING_

_DING_

_The alarm clock sounded, making the blonde hair jumble around then quietly lay still as the boy's hand smacked the off button, head bowed. _

_It was now time to see the second half of the year face-to-face._

_-------------------------------------------------- __  
_

_Much to his dismay, nothing was different.__The people still conformed around their little groups, except this time, discussing the expensive things their parents had bought them.__Walking through them had not changed and the way Bou shuffled through a few hundred people to reach his locker was the same as two weeks before.__Except, a new schedule.__New teachers, faces, and possibly . . . love.__That was all Bou could think about walking up to the school building in slow, easy steps.__Heck, he blushed at the thought of having Miku in a class with him or even bumping into him "accidentally." Moreover, all the simplicity left him when the school building overshadowed him.__Sighing, he left everything in the past, pacing into the crowded school._

_Yet, staring at these people, smiling at their pointless bragging rights, Bou waited for the next minute for the warning bell . . . Homeroom wasn't far away, in which he would find out his new schedule.__Still, the butterflies in his stomach fluttered so frantically that his knees almost caved in when the first bell rang, making all of the students continue their conversation in movement.__Picking himself up off his locker, the blonde headed toward homeroom._

_-------------------------------------------------- __  
_

_Classes were handed out in homeroom, officially noting a new part of the year.__Bou merely sighed, as the paper was laid on his desk.__Although the room buzzed with friends comparing schedules, Bou merely sighed, lifting the top of his paper to stare at the new alignment.__Somewhere in the background, a teacher droned on about rules and regulations while a blonde boy, dressed in a girl's uniform, drug an arm over his stomach.__Finally, the stress hit him._

_"You're dismissed," the teacher's voice knocked Bou's thoughts from his head before he stood, hoping his shaking knees wouldn't give out on him._

_Being nervous had to be an understatement, especially at the moment Bou bustled out of the classroom, scrunching the schedule in his fist.__Even though he had no hope Miku would even be in the same part of the school with him, the blonde still couldn't help but be a little, tad-bit nervous that maybe he would have to take action, that maybe he would have to face his fears rather than pushing them off.__However, when that new classroom door came into his view, the blonde couldn't help but put a hand on the doorframe, looking inside with horror._

_"He's here," Bou whispered, sliding to the side where he would be out of sight and out of the way._

_Miku sat on a desk, smiling to Teruki who seemed to be teasing Kanon.__The blonde thought this when he saw the way Kanon was the only one not smiling, but blushing as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.__"Teruki, stop it!" Miku exclaimed, leaning over to pat Teruki's shoulder for his attention._

_Teruki flashed his friend a smile prior to ruffling the shy man's hair.__"Ah, he'll get over it," he replied to Miku._

_Bou, transfixed to the scene, crunched his paper a bit more as he tightened his grip on the doorframe.__Already, the butterflies, he managed to keep caged, escaped.__Then, his head felt lighter with a slight coolness forming on his forehead.__Taking a step up, to the best of his ability, the blonde hoped for the best as he walked straight past them, trying his best to ignore all sounds from the group and concentrating on the desk ahead of him, without hurling._'Made it_,' he__ thought, taking his bag and sitting it on the desk, followed by himself.__Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Bou couldn't block out the roomhe had to look over and when he did . . ._

_Miku shook his head a little, sharing an apologetic smile with Kanon, "I'm sorry, Kanon, he's a kid at heart."_

_Teruki laughed, "Wait," he stopped laughing.__"You just called me retarded."_

_Bou smiled, '_Good one_,' he__ thought, still staring even when Teruki spotted him._

_"Hey, blondie!" He yelled, grabbing the others' attention._

_The boy's eyes popped open, immediately looking away. '_Not now_!' He__ heard their footsteps coming to his desk with each passing second. He closed his eyes, scratching the back of his head prior to looking up at Kanon and Teruki with a smile, "Hello." He greeted, praying no one would notice the held down frantic tone._

"_Hello, Bou," Kanon spoke, not directly staring into Bou's eyes._

"_What a coincidence, eh?" Teruki asked, scooting Bou's bag into his lap as he replaced it with his butt._

_The blonde sighed, eyeing Teruki angrily. "It's because you failed." He bluntly replied, adjusting the bag nicely against a desk leg._

_Teruki frowned, "Ha. Ha." He said, not amused until he glanced at Miku who sat in his desk, seeming as if he was anticipating the class's start. Teruki then glanced to the blonde, Kanon and back to Miku before saying, "Bye!" and revisited his friend._

_The boy had no reaction, he realized Miku didn't even look back; didn't even acknowledge his presence. He sighed, turning to Kanon. "How are you?" He asked, scooting back in his chair, elbows now resting on the desk._

_Kanon only timidly nodded, taking a step back with pink heating the apple of his cheeks. "Fine, fine," He stuttered, giving a small bow. "But, class is fixing to start and I need to find a seat."_

_Without another word, he disappeared among the growing crowd leaving Bou bewildered and slightly hurt. However, when Bou looked up from his desk, he looked up right at Miku who appeared slightly distracted from the conversation with Teruki. The blonde boy sighed again, '_I can't_' he thought to himself, sinking his head downward, '_I just can't_' He picked up his bag off the ground, sat it on his desk, sinking his chin into the fabric to think. He thought about the night they spent under the same roof, the morning, and the way Miku took no glance at him . . . Maybe Miku hated him for the same reason Bou seemed to be hating himself. At that moment, it didn't matter, he knew Miku didn't want him, at all. He knew all attempts would fail even before they started. And he knew . . ._

"_Everyone, find a seat." The teacher spoke, coming in through the door._

_. . . He didn't care._


	9. Chapter 9

_Bent over, Bou held his stomach, ignoring the minute changing numbers. His mind was elsewhere. The tip of his school shoes faced each other, his painted face hung low and his fixed hair dropped down the sides of his face but it all didn't matter to him, he did it only for one person, Miku. What would he think? Bou woke up thirty minutes early to fix his hair, face and make sure everything was perfect before venturing off. Now, however, he wished to have never met that boy, he wished to have never bumped into him in that hallway. If he never counted the snowflakes, if he never was late for class, this would have never happened._

_Still._

_Pushing its way through the regrets, was a question, "Would you have changed a thing?" Suddenly, the blonde found himself answering with a no. Confidence wasn't a hard thing to rid of, especially when it hung on your wall._

_DING_

_He jumped._

_DING_

_He straightened his hair band._

_DING_

_With a sigh, the alarm went silent letting the blonde hear his parents shuffling in their bedroom, Teruki heading out and him breathing heavily. Just standing there, he felt the make up on his face and he hoped his mother hadn't noticed some of her make up gone. His head felt heavier, roots stretching to fit the special head band on top of his head. And his legs shook with obvious fear even when he looked to the hanging confidence, trying to gain more._

"_Here goes nothing," he whispered, putting one foot in front of the other._

_In the distance, he saw the school; it coming in closer with each step he took. The sun sat happily somewhere over the building, watching Bou in all his pride, making his way and somehow pause, in terror, second thoughts winning over the confidence. He shook, deep breaths becoming even deeper. All he had to do was walk in and grab Miku's attention, show him how cute of a girl he could be. Girls originality nowadays seemed to be just that; cute and preppy. Yet, looking up and down at himself, Bou knew he wasn't a girl and pulling it off would be far from a miracle. However, Miku's words echoed in his head: "_Seriously, as long as they have their own style, I don't care. Well, they do have to be cute_."_

_Nose stinging, he shook it off, standing tall with his bag on his shoulder. This was only a stepping stone._

_By far, Bou knew it wasn't his imagination at the giggling and paused conversations only to start again, this time, the topic being him. His knuckles whitened on the strap of his bag, lungs feeling heavy as his head felt light. For a moment, he thought about turning around and run . . . Just run. The humiliation wasn't worth it, none of the social torture was worth it. Head bowed to the ground, he walked on, biting his lip until he heard _that _voice. Looking up, he found the room number to first block and the three guys all sitting around _his _table. Silently, he crept in, ignoring the giggles from a nearby group of classmates. Bag being dropped off at his desk, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and ran over to Miku, giving him the peace sign._

"_Good morning!" Bou squeaked, not breathing._

_From beside him, Bou swore he heard a small snicker from Kanon and a gasp from Teruki . . . Or, was it the other way around? But their reactions didn't matter, Miku's did. Bou, standing there with a peace sign, only made Miku briefly seemed shocked followed by a shrug of the shoulder and his head turning back to Teruki, talking about something dealing with sports. Bou's eyes went wide for a second before his shoulders dropped, nose stinging worse than before. Defeated, Bou mumbled another good morning before backing up._

_Silently, he crept back into his seat, head bowing to his desk as a hand slowly slipped off the headband. The headband landed in his lap with a thud, tears welling up in the owner's eyes. Leisurely, Bou's thumb stroked the head piece even when a boy came up to his side, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder._

"_You… Y-You look . . ." He paused, hand rising off the shoulder, shaking. "Cute." He squeaked, blush becoming obviously noticeable his face._

_Bou glanced at Kanon from the corner of his eyes, laying the headband down with a clunk. "Thanks," he sighed, propping his folded arms on the table and laying his head in the middle. Rejection felt worse than the movie and the books, it felt as if someone crushed in your chest with everything they had: Emotion, strength, intelligence, or help. Rejection overpowered all your senses, making you no better than the next person. It made you feel like the dirt on the bottom of the next person's shoe. With a bad taste in the blonde boy's mouth, he never heard Kanon's fading foot steps and he never heard the teacher walk in, starting class. All he heard was Miku's voice . . . Talking, laughing, or reading a passage out of the book._

_He couldn't sleep that night. He couldn't lay still. He couldn't shut off the good morning. And he couldn't shut off the nerving way Miku rejected him. He had it planned, he had it all planned. Second thoughts or not, he was more than positive it would happen, that Miku would see how cute he could be, how he could be something other than the shy boy. Alas, the plan failed, Bou failed. Was it a sign to give up, to tell the blonde that he couldn't have Miku? Yet, Bou had a nagging feeling in the back of his head. What he didn't know was what to do about it. Sighing, he turned on a side, eyes opened to a wall._

"_I don't know," he whispered to the dark room._

_He felt empty. Alone. And, to him, he could do nothing about it, nothing at all. To Bou, all the options were used, all the options were … Unless, he would try again. Sometimes you had to start over, right? "_ALWAYS try your best_," was one of the rules, wasn't it? Maybe the first try just didn't cut it, maybe the first try was the one stepping stone to the big one, the stage. _

"_Again," he whispered, turning on his other side, the boy sniffled before closing his eyes to the next day._


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

_The uneven sound of Bou tearing off an old piece of paper filled the room. He had the thick and brittle paper in his hand, staring down at it with shaking eyes. From last night, to this morning, he had decided to try again, to take another go at something he wanted, something to prove himself. Yet, when those rules screamed at him, telling him how he HAD to try again, he couldn't help but take them down. With four stains on the wall from the corroded adhesive tape, Bou stepped over to his end table, opening the drawer, silently hiding the rules in there until . . . He didn't know the outcome, or if would ever succeed. All he would be reminded of was the messy, ugly scribbles on the paper, noting how he had courage, just not in plain sight._

_Where he stood, the blonde could hear his parents' alarm clock ring throughout their room and some throughout the apartment while the front door closed; Teruki's sign to go. Discovering himself staring at his bedroom door, he sighed, shuffling over to his bed, picking up the school bag beside it then clicked off the alarm clock. "Not today," he whispered, carefully placing the strap on his shoulder, following Teruki._

_Failure was just a word. Only a word for people who never had motivation to finish what they started. Or, that's what Bou kept telling himself. He needed the strength, he needed the motivation to follow behind his teasing brother who gave no mercy when they arrived home. From the Kanon who called at least ten times and from the Miku who practically rejected him the second Bou felt he was on top, the blonde needed at least one person. One in . . . How many?_

"_Ahh," he groaned, hearing the clinking in his bag. His eyes flashed to his side, clutching the strap on his shoulder tighter as the nerves wanted to buckle down his knees; especially as teenage voices came into the streets and the unmistakable sight of the school building. Grip tighter on the bag, he took in a deep breath, jogging up and into the building, the clinking in his bag getting worse._

_After several looks from his male peers, Bou shut the bathroom door behind him, back against the dirty metal. He bowed his head, hands running through his hair. The deafening mumble behind him, he mumbled, "C'mon, you can do this." And slipped the bag onto the floor hearing the clunking he knew would follow. Putting the top down on the toilet, Bou took a seat, reaching over to his bag where he pulled out a mirror from the front pocket and several small, dark bottles from the big pocket. Thighs together, he placed everything in his lap, biting his lip, as his whole body quivered. _

_Mirror in one hand, the blonde boy adjusted his face in the middle as he had a sponge ready, a sponge covered in a dark substance at least four times darker than his own face. "Here it goes," he whispered, hearing more foot steps._

_Silence._

_Silence made Bou feel as if he were deaf._

_No one spoke as they spotted overly tan skin under his blonde hair. They noticed his slightly tanned fingertips and the way he had white outlines for eyes, his lips even. Not a demeaning remark, not a kind remark… All anyone could do was stare, nudging their friends. Bou, however, ignored everyone around him. He walked on as if nothing happened one and only one thing on his mind: Miku. _

_Even when he reached the classroom, the boy shuffled in, the corner of his white outlined eyes spotting Kanon, Teruki and Miku. Sitting at his seat again, he gently laid down his bag beside him, looking around the room to see only a few other people who, without surprise, kept glancing at the blonde, tanned faced boy. "Never give up," he whispered, taking deep breaths to calm his furiously beating heart; standing, moving a lock of hair out of his face before, "Hello!" He exclaimed in awkward English._

_Teruki, who sat on the desk, fell off, a slight scream exiting his mouth. Kanon, who stood, took a step back, blush on his cheeks, a hand grasping his arm. And, Miku, whose only opinion matter mouthed a wow with a very disgusted face. His eyes went wide, his neck leaned back and he immediately looked away. Bou's face fell, his peace sign he then noticed, fell from the air to the side of his body. "I-I…" He stuttered hearing someone laugh behind him. Hands being on his chest as they fumbled each other, Bou backed up, tears making the white outline run. "Sorry!" he said in a croaky voice, heat puffing out his cheeks._

_He should have known it._

_The blonde boy, without a word, gave a last look at Miku before hurrying to his desk where he fisted his bag, running out of the class, arm against his eyes._

_He ran out of the school, to the outside where he slowed to a mild walk, body shaking under the humiliation. Failing a second time felt worse. It felt as if your chest had been sunk in and each breath was sharp, stinging your lungs as to say this was your punishment. And, as if the humiliation slightly faded away, the bag hit the tree in some anger Bou felt for himself… How he so easily thought this was the way to do things, this was the way to make a fool out of yourself, Miku feeling pity and then pay attention to you out of pity. "I should have known!" He growled, back slamming against the tree, palms getting that dark, gaudy make-up same as the arm. _

"_I should have known!" He repeated, tears creating white streams._

_  
The school in the distance seemed peaceful within its own nature. The school seemed . . . "Unbothered," he whispered, looking down to his tan covered hands. Where did he go wrong?_

"_Bou!" _

_The blonde's eyes flashed over back to the school where a boy jogged up to him, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Kanon?" He said loud enough for himself._

"_Bou . . ." Kanon said, closing in on the slouching blonde. _

"_Kanon, what are you doing here?" The blonde asked, looking away._

"_Bou, I - . . ." He started, standing above the boy, standing above the mess that . . . "Bou," Finally, he noticed where he stood, he noticed his friend crying over Miku. "Come on, we're going to your place." He sweetly smiled, holding out a hand to the boy who wouldn't look at him._

"_Why?" Bou croaked, arms wiping off his eyes again, smearing more of the make-up around._

"_We need to clean you up." Kanon chuckled, "So we can go back to school." He finished, hand still silently opened for Bou._

_Bou's eyes popped opened, head flashing to his friend. "Kanon. . ." He whispered, tearing up again, this time not for Miku. "Thank you." He lifted the soggy white outlines, grabbing his bag in one hand and Kanon's hand in the other._


	11. Chapter 11 THE END

_**Chapter 11**_

_Laying beside a pale faced boy were several dirty, tan paper towels. And, on the boys face were a pair of hand which lightly stroked his forehead, down the side of his face, ending at the middle of his chin. The other, however, inclined Bou's head upward. The blonde had red eyes and pink cheeks. From the tree, Kanon led Bou the way home and sat his on the toilet as he went for the paper towels. Bou, from the tree, stayed silent, bag clutched on his shoulder, head bowed. What could he say? Humiliation kept him silent._

_"There," Kanon said, laying down the last dirty paper towel, eyes skimming over his face to make sure, "you're done." He finished, standing with full posture, taking a step back to allow Bou to stand as well._

_Bou gave a weak smile, head bowed, "Thank you, Kanon," he said through leaks of tears._

_Kanon blushed, looking around as if he was unsure what to do. Sighing, he knelt to Bou, taking his hand, "Trust me, just put up your hair," he ran his fingers through a couple of strands, "and just be yourself."_

_Bou's eyes widened, meeting Kanon's almost immediately, "Kanon?" He asked, wondering if what Kanon said had to do with . . ._

_"He'll understand." Kanon gave a sure smile, knowing what he was about to give up._

_Happily grinning, Bou straightened his posture, wrapping his arms around Kanon's neck, "Thank you so much, Kanon." He felt like crying, not of sadness, but out of understanding._

_"You're welcome, Bou," Kanon whispered, hugging back to someone he was to lose. "Now," he put on an awkward smile, "get your hair done. We're late for class." He chuckled, pushing Bou arms length away._

_Putting his hands on Kanon's shoulders, he nodded, having an ear-to-ear grin._

_Bou felt the hair whip at the back of his head as he walked beside Kanon, laughing at a joke. From the bathroom to the sight of school Bou felt different. He felt as if he had the world, overtaking it with each step. Even the rules he depended on were hidden, away from his sight. He didn't need to be strong, he didn't need scribbles on old paper to tell him how he should feel. Instead, he found he needed were a few kind gestures and words from a friend who continuously blushed and pushed up his glasses._

_"We're here," Kanon said, putting a hand on Bou's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze._

_"Mm," Bou nodded, hair flapping._

_"Ready?" Kanon asked with worry in his tone._

_Bou looked over to him, put on his best smile, stomach turning over, "I'll be fine, stop worrying." He patted Kanon's back before finishing, "Go on ahead, I'll see you in class." The smile still on._

_Kanon seemed hesitant for a moment until the hand on his back gave a small push and Bou giggled. The shy boy then nodded, heading off while the blonde held his stomach, taking in slow breaths._

_"I can do this," he said, taking the hands and patting both of his cheeks. "I can." He whispered before jogging into the school building. _

_After signing into the office, the blonde only had twenty-minutes left of his first block and with that he hoped to set things straight. His head felt light and with his heart hammering against his chest didn't help matters. Standing in front of the classroom, he wiped his forehead, deep breath and he rotated the doorknob to complete silence. Bou's nose started to sting, especially when everyone turned his way, "Sorry, I'm late sir," he bowed toward the teacher sitting at his desk. _

_"It's okay, Bou, take a seat." The teacher waved a hand, not even looking up from his papers. "Just pull out a book and read until I say stop." He absently answered like a drone._

_Bou nodded, silently padding his way to his empty seat, not even daring to look in Miku's direction. He pulled off the bag with one hand, bottom sliding into the seat as he met Kanon's eyes; he smiled._

_The room stayed silent save for the random snores and clearing of the throats. Bou heard a fly buzz loudly around the room every time he found himself trying to concentrate on reading. And when he finally heard the buzzing stop, he leaned forward in his seat, head facing down to the book, eyes cornering to look at Miku who seemed occupied. Bou furrowed his brow, seeing the boy shuffling around in the school uniform, hands in his hair. Why was he so different?_

_"Books away, last five minutes to talk." The teacher said, standing from his desk, to the door, where he stepped out, papers in hand._

_At once, the class erupted to mass roar, people standing to migrate over to friends… Just like Teruki and Kanon did, except, not to Miku. Instead, they maundered around the groups of talkative teens to Bou who seemed startles just as Miku did in the background. "Go home?" Teruki asked, taking a seat on the desk. _

_Bou nodded, "Yes and I left a big mess in your bathroom." He teased._

_Teruki stayed silent, "Is that gunk in my sink?!" He rhetorically asked, actually believing his brother._

_Kanon laughed, "I helped."_

_"Guess who's cleaning it," Teruki firmly said, not even a question._

_"Not me," Bou popped up, hands in the air. Kanon mimicked._

_"I'm telling," Teruki said, arms crossing._

_"Tell, it's your bathroom, what would the parents think?" Bou laughed, trying to help Teruki think things through._

_"You have to be kidding me!" Teruki said, standing up._

_Although Bou continued to talk, continued to make fun of Teruki in his own way, Bou couldn't help but to look past Kanon and his brother to see Miku staring at them with a peaceful look on his face. The blonde gasped to see Miku staring at him, smiling. And, with the new realization, their conversation suddenly paused with Teruki looking back, Kanon following soon after. "Go for it," Kanon spoke up._

_"I'll hate it, but do it." Teruki said, standing to make room for Bou to get out of his seat._

_Bou's gaze switched from boy to brother, confused. "What?"_

_"Go!" Teruki exclaimed, jabbing a finger to Miku who stood as soon as Teruki had done so._

_Bou's eyes widened, face red. "I -…" He trailed, noticing Miku walking over to him._

_The blonde stood as well, knees almost buckling under his weight. Body cold, forehead hot, he stepped out of the desk, meeting Miku halfway just when . . ._

_DING_

_DING_

_DING_

_Together, the class picked up their things, walking and talking out of the classroom except two boys who hung low in the back as two others stood in the middle. _

_Silence._

_"Miku, I…" Bou heard himself say just before Miku hugged him._

_"I'm sorry, _you tried your best, didn't you_?" He asked, tightening his grip. _

_Bou's nose, once again started to sting. "I did," he chocked, arms shyly wrapping around Miku's waist. _

"_Good job," he chuckled, pushing Bou away at arms length, looking him up and down. "I have to say, this is the best look. Can you smile for me?" He asked, his face red._

_Through the heat and welling tears, Bou chuckled out a smile, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. "Thank you," he mouthed._

_Miku nodded, pulling Bou forward to kiss him on the forehead, "I should be thanking you." He finished, sliding down his arms down Bou's own, saying, "Get your bag, I'll walk you to class." He smiled, squeezing the blonde's hands, walking away to his own desk._

_Chest having a delightful, sharp pain, Bou hurried to his desk, glancing at the other two. Kanon nodded with a smile as Teruki held out a thumbs up. Bou smiled back, mouthing a thank you to them before his hand was interlaced with Miku's. He didn't jump, he didn't give a surprised squeak, instead, he slowly rose, arm sliding the bag on his shoulder before they started down the hallway to Bou's next class._

_Somehow, he seemed alright._

_Somehow, he felt he would come shining through._

_And, somehow, everything seemed silly. All the worrying he had done seemed a waste. Yet, looking at Miku, it seemed worth it. Every step he took seemed more than worth it._

**a/n: **Omg, everyone, thank you so much for the support!! Although I hated this story, you all helped me realize maybe it isn't HALF bad, although I still dislike it very strongly. I really hope I incorporated feelings and such... I try really hard with emotions. I'm glad, with those that read, that you all liked and reviewed with every chapter I updated. Again, thank you! If you would like to know where I reside:_  
_

last.fm - http://www.last.fm/user/ipetpigs/


End file.
